Dressing to blend in

I'd tell you to not worry about blending in. Unless you are fluent in Italian, you are going to stand out. Just the way we carry ourselves makes us stand out in a crowd in most cases. I totally recommend that you take the clothing that works the best for you, can be washed in a sink if necessary and dries quickly. However, if you like jeans, go with them. Most of Italy is wearing jeans now. You don't need to step it up a notch, just be comfortable. I'm from Colorado where dressing up is a clean pair of jeans. I didn't take jeans to Italy or when I traveled, but have just started to wear them, and I feel comfortable. I dont' wear t-shirts with logos on them, usually take a few solid colored t's and some sweaters for layering. My fleece jacket for cooler months and my rain jacket are always with me (if you don't think I stand out in a RED rain coat!) go have fun, experience all you can, and let your worries about clothing be the furthest thing from you mind!

Personally I would not take jeans because they are hard to carry and stay wet which is a possibility in March. White tennis are now in and see on a lot of the teenagers and young adults if that is your age range. You will trigger the old "You cannot blend in" discussion which has some merit. My advice is to dress not to stand out. We will dress a notch better than we would routinely wear in our town. Probably the low side of dressy causal with nice shirts, muted colors, etc. We use a lot of synthetic blends because the dry quickly and look good. We don't use tennis shoes because if they get wet (and they will in March) they are miserable to wear. A good water proof leather shoe looks good better than a tennis shoe.

You should be fine w/your current style as jeans are a common staple in Italy just like anywhere else. I've been to Italy many times, have lived there briefly and speak Italian (my parents immigrated from Italy many years ago), so I'm pretty good at blending in, except for when I'm taking photos, which is most of the time! Unfortunately, no matter how we dress, if you're like most of us tourists who tend to take a lot of pictures, it will be difficult to truly blend in. You might want to 'step it up a notch' for dinner... and keep your camera out of sight (but Italy is so photogenic, it's hard to resist taking out the camera every other second!) Wearing a nice scarf is an easy way to dress up an outfit.

Here's a vote for taking blue jeans. In March they will be comfortable and practical and you'll find Italians everywhere wearing them.

Thanks everyone! I'm feeling less stressed about having to get good travel clothes. I'm thinking using what I've already picked up (a dress and skirt) and coupling with my exisiting wardrobe will be just fine.

Elaine, Portland here! We were there in Oct 2010 and Dec 2011 and I wore trouser jeans both times. Took two pair, plus one pair of wash and wear black slacks, a couple of black lightweight (merino wool and silk) pullover sweaters, a modal cotton top, a merino cardigan, fleece and a vest. (That's all for one month!) Wore a long raincoat with hood over all, with Keen hikers and maryjanes as footwear. Also had an Ellington daybag worn crossbody. I was constantly stopped and asked in Italian by Italians for directions and advice. I speak a little Italian, so I was quite flattered. Clearly we did not stand out so much..... You will be fine with what you plan to wear. Oh, and I added a scarf most of the time, which the Italians do as well, as a fashion statement as well as for warmth. Bring some nice jewelry (a "statement" necklace for example) to wear when you want to dress up just a touch. Allow time for air drying - at least 24 hours. We had apartments with washers in 3 of the 4 places we stayed, so used the racks in the apartments for drying. In Sorrento we went to the laundromat. Put the clothes in and went to have a glass of wine while the washed. Put 'em in the dryer and repeat wine. Easy peasy! (Plus I wear my jeans each for 2 days between washings.)

My opinion, wear whatever you want (except churches). It is more important to carry yourself like your in somebody elses backyard. Dont be demanding or rude or arrogant. It is all good. Enjoy yourself.

Agree with the others.....wear what you want and be comfortable. Tom is correct....you'll be seeing alot of different styles, colors etc and really...nobody is really gonna care what you're wearing.

if Italy is like Spain and France (I had visited both in early Fall last year), then the European trend with jeans will be "skinny" jeans, mostly for the under-35 crowd but there were a few "professional" over-35 people wearing the "slim than normal jeans", with a collared shirt and blazer. Any other person wearing jeans was wearing regular straight leg or bootcut jeans. I would avoid the "baggy" jeans look that is sometimes prevalent in most of urban America. Regular straight leg and boot cut fit jeans would be fine without being baggy. That's what I wore in Spain and France and I didn't stand out. I didn't really see any trends with sneakers with people in Spain and France so I would expect the same in Italy.. I wore my low cut trail/cross trainer shoes. I would avoid wearing clothing that clearly depicts any reference to the United States (like a shirt with the American flag or "USA is Number 1" type of writing). I work for the Dept of Defense and this is pretty much the standard "what not to wear when traveling overseas" speech that is given to DoD gov't employees traveling overseas, even to Europe given the geo-political climate over the last decade or so. I wore mostly polo shirts for dining out and t-shirts (without any brand name or writing) when bumming around town during the day. For night dining, in Madrid and in Paris, I wore khaki pants. If I had dark colored, non factory faded jeans, I would had worn them and still felt comfortable to dine out in them, even in some of the more upscale restaurants in Paris that I ate at.

I agree with David. Be who you are, wear what you want. Italy draws millions of tourists from all over the world and I guarantee you'll see every kind of outfit imaginable when you're over there.

Jeans are fine. Don't wear your Disneyland sweatshirts and US sports team wear and you will be fine.
You will see it all in Italy.

Hi Elaine, Just wear what makes you comfortable. I never pack jeans, because they're bulky and take forever to dry. Since I'm in a carry-on, space is a premium. I usually wear solid T's and Polo's, and the color can be anything. My wife always tries to get me to wear the most ostentatious color imaginable, since I'm easier to locate in a crowd that way. I usually pack earthtones... My shoes are trail runners, and I see quite a few of them over there.
My advice? You're not going to fit in, since you are clearly American. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but you'll be pegged from the get go. So, embrace that you're a tourist, be discreet, and have a great time!

Thanks everyone! All your input has been great. I feel like I have a much better perspective.